# Difference between a Medium and a Large?



## Solimar (Sep 2, 2006)

I looked all over the web for the answer, and couldn't get what I was looking for. What is the REAL difference between a "medium" and a "large" size shirt? I know that the medium is smaller, but in what way? Is it just in breast area and middle, or is the length shorter as well? That's what I'm wondering.

I've been shopping again lately, and I usually wear a medium, as I'm not...large, but large makes me feel more comfortable, and my boobs aren't as WHOA as they are in a medium...but it just seems like it's too long, so I should get the medium instead. But I was wondering if there's even a point if they're similiar?!

Any idea what the real difference is, ladies?


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## Stephanie (Sep 2, 2006)

i think it really goes by brand and style


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## michal_cohen (Sep 2, 2006)

Originally Posted by *Sincerely Me* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I looked all over the web for the answer, and couldn't get what I was looking for. What is the REAL difference between a "medium" and a "large" size shirt? I know that the medium is smaller, but in what way? Is it just in breast area and middle, or is the length shorter as well? That's what I'm wondering.
I've been shopping again lately, and I usually wear a medium, as I'm not...large, but large makes me feel more comfortable, and my boobs aren't as WHOA as they are in a medium...but it just seems like it's too long, so I should get the medium instead. But I was wondering if there's even a point if they're similiar?!

Any idea what the real difference is, ladies?


its like when you buy panths 0 its extra small

1 its small

2 its madium

3 its larage

the diffrent its not so big me for a sample im waring a big m or a small large its really defand of the size the compant does(sorry about the tipo)


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## shanes_babygirl (Sep 2, 2006)

I think Larges are longer the meduims, and also are bigger around, meaning more room for your boobs and stomach. Anyway, Thats what I notice in my shirts cuz I usually wear a meduim, but I got some big ol' honkers lol, so sometimes I'll by large, and it'll be too long, and way to baggy aroudn the tummy area.


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## lynnda (Sep 2, 2006)

It all depends on the brand. Most larges are longer with a fuller cut. They also usually have more room in the arm area.


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## girl_geek (Sep 2, 2006)

Normally as clothing sizes increase, they get bigger and longer in all directions, not just say the bust. (I have noticed that shirts tend to get longer as the sizes increase, and of course wider.)

I read an interesting article in Redbook Magazine about how clothing companies determine their sizes -- they start with a model who's normally a size 8 with an hourglass figure and make the size 8 to fit her. Then for larger and smaller sizes, they simply scale all of the measurements up or down. Which is why it's so hard for most women to find clothes (especially pants) that fit properly, because few of us have an hour-glass figure, especially in the very large and very small sizes! The article said a few companies are just starting to make more "intelligent" sizes an offer more options such as cuts for more boyish or curvy figures, but in general, most clothes are designed for an hourglass figure.

Here is a sample sizing chart, I'm not sure what the difference between "Standard" and "Modern" sizes are, but you can see that as size increases, all the measurements increase:

http://www.overstock.com/sizing.html


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## shanes_babygirl (Sep 2, 2006)

Im short, and a little "thick" and I hate buying pants, its annoying..because all the pants are always too long, and they dont fit right in the crotch area making me look like I have a penis lol


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## girl_geek (Sep 2, 2006)

Originally Posted by *shanes_babygirl* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Im short, and a little "thick" and I hate buying pants, its annoying..because all the pants are always too long, and they dont fit right in the crotch area making me look like I have a penis lol lol.... I'm average height but slender with a boyish figure, so whenever I get pants to fit in the waist, they are too baggy in the hips and butt! Junior's sizes fit me better (apparently I have the body of a 13-year-old even though I'm 25




), but it's so hard to find work-appropriate slacks and plain jeans without holes and embellishments! I found one pair of slacks that fit and I bought 5 pairs in different colors! lol
Do you try on Petites sizes? Some people are under the impression that petites are only for slender people, but actually, they are made for everyone under 5'4". They're cut the same as regular Misses' sizes, just with shorter inseams and sleeves!


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## shanes_babygirl (Sep 2, 2006)

Originally Posted by *girl_geek* /img/forum/go_quote.gif lol.... I'm average height but slender with a boyish figure, so whenever I get pants to fit in the waist, they are too baggy in the hips and butt! Junior's sizes fit me better (apparently I have the body of a 13-year-old even though I'm 25



), but it's so hard to find work-appropriate slacks and plain jeans without holes and embellishments! I found one pair of slacks that fit and I bought 5 pairs in different colors! lol
Do you try on Petites sizes? Some people are under the impression that petites are only for slender people, but actually, they are made for everyone under 5'4". They're cut the same as regular Misses' sizes, just with shorter inseams and sleeves!

All the petite sizes I find, are always just straight legs, and Im more into flare, and bootcut shapes. I do have one pair of petite jeans I bought like a year ago lol, and They fit perfectly, but thier straight legs, so I dont wear them much.


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## SamanthaBNYC (Sep 2, 2006)

Originally Posted by *Sincerely Me* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I looked all over the web for the answer, and couldn't get what I was looking for. What is the REAL difference between a "medium" and a "large" size shirt? I know that the medium is smaller, but in what way? Is it just in breast area and middle, or is the length shorter as well? That's what I'm wondering.
I've been shopping again lately, and I usually wear a medium, as I'm not...large, but large makes me feel more comfortable, and my boobs aren't as WHOA as they are in a medium...but it just seems like it's too long, so I should get the medium instead. But I was wondering if there's even a point if they're similiar?!

Any idea what the real difference is, ladies?

Here you go:All you do is add the following amounts to a medium to get a large:

this is just an average (of different companies I've worked for), and is specific to sweaters and knit tops only.

body length +1/2"

Chest width (total) +3"

Waist width (total) +3"

Bottom Opening (total) +3"

Armhole (total) +1 1/2"

Sleeve Length (from Center Back) +1"

Neck Width +3/8"

Samantha

Sweater Technical Designer (the job is making clothes fit customers)

NYC garment industry (sorry, but I don't feel comfortable naming the company I work for)


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## girl_geek (Sep 2, 2006)

Originally Posted by *SamanthaBNYC* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here you go:All you do is add the following amounts to a medium to get a large:

this is just an average (of different companies I've worked for), and is specific to sweaters and knit tops only.

body length +1/2"

Chest width (total) +3"

Waist width (total) +3"

Bottom Opening (total) +3"

Armhole (total) +1 1/2"

Sleeve Length (from Center Back) +1"

Neck Width +3/8"

Samantha

Sweater Technical Designer (the job is making clothes fit customers)

NYC garment industry (sorry, but I don't feel comfortable naming the company I work for)

Great info, very helpful!
My problem with shirts is always "Is the Small going to be small enough?" not "Which of these 2 sizes am I?" (In Misses at least.) If the brand offers an XS, that always fits better than the S, but so many brands just start at S. I have been gaining weight over the years, but lately all my weight just turns to fat on my tummy so I'm trying to slow my weight gain, so I think I'm going to be stuck wearing tiny shirt sizes for a long time.



(Too bad I can't take some of that tummy fat and put it on my boobs! lol)

If I was still a teenager, Juniors sizes fit well, but I want to look like an adult



Samantha, you should tell your company to make smaller sizes if they don't already



lol


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## SamanthaBNYC (Sep 3, 2006)

Originally Posted by *girl_geek* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Great info, very helpful!
My problem with shirts is always "Is the Small going to be small enough?" not "Which of these 2 sizes am I?" (In Misses at least.) If the brand offers an XS, that always fits better than the S, but so many brands just start at S. I have been gaining weight over the years, but lately all my weight just turns to fat on my tummy so I'm trying to slow my weight gain, so I think I'm going to be stuck wearing tiny shirt sizes for a long time.



(Too bad I can't take some of that tummy fat and put it on my boobs! lol)

If I was still a teenager, Juniors sizes fit well, but I want to look like an adult



Samantha, you should tell your company to make smaller sizes if they don't already



lol

Some of the companies offer the smallest sizes online only. A lot of the time, it's hard to sell sizes like "00" or "XXS" in the stores, so they end up going to clearance. With online, they only make a small amount of those sizes, so they're easier to "sell through" (that means they sell the entire inventory). It's also difficult to guess which stores have the smallest customers, so if it's in stores it could be in the wrong store.In my job, we constantly struggle with which sizes to get into the store. The average American population is changing by moving towards obesity.

Companies re-assess on a yearly basis now what our "average" customer size is. It's getting bigger all across the board (misses, juniors, and (heartbreakingly) even childrenswear). Sometimes, you'll find that while you've maintained the same weight, you now buy 1 size smaller in the same brand--that's because they've changed their average size to be more like the average American (who is getting chubbier, but gets alarmed if they need to buy 1 size bigger). It's up in the air if that's vanity sizing or just re-assessed customer sizing. But, it leads to more customer confusion because the same person could end up with different sizes from different stores that all fit the same (say, a 4 at Old Navy, 6 at J. Crew, 8 at H&amp;M, 10 at Express, and a 12 at Hollister and they all fit perfectly). If America continues on the obesity trend, you'll have even worse luck finding small sizes (especially at mass market retailers). I'm not criticizing anyone, as I'm not a pencil myself, but it was shocking to find out that the average 7 year old now is way bigger than I was at 7 (and I was the average size).

When I go shopping, I always observe what the customers look like, what they're buying and what sizes they buy. I think my job subconciously taught me to do that.


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## girl_geek (Sep 3, 2006)

Originally Posted by *SamanthaBNYC* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Some of the companies offer the smallest sizes online only. A lot of the time, it's hard to sell sizes like "00" or "XXS" in the stores, so they end up going to clearance. With online, they only make a small amount of those sizes, so they're easier to "sell through" (that means they sell the entire inventory). It's also difficult to guess which stores have the smallest customers, so if it's in stores it could be in the wrong store.In my job, we constantly struggle with which sizes to get into the store. The average American population is changing by moving towards obesity.

Companies re-assess on a yearly basis now what our "average" customer size is. It's getting bigger all across the board (misses, juniors, and (heartbreakingly) even childrenswear). Sometimes, you'll find that while you've maintained the same weight, you now buy 1 size smaller in the same brand--that's because they've changed their average size to be more like the average American (who is getting chubbier, but gets alarmed if they need to buy 1 size bigger). It's up in the air if that's vanity sizing or just re-assessed customer sizing. But, it leads to more customer confusion because the same person could end up with different sizes from different stores that all fit the same (say, a 4 at Old Navy, 6 at J. Crew, 8 at H&amp;M, 10 at Express, and a 12 at Hollister and they all fit perfectly). If America continues on the obesity trend, you'll have even worse luck finding small sizes (especially at mass market retailers). I'm not criticizing anyone, as I'm not a pencil myself, but it was shocking to find out that the average 7 year old now is way bigger than I was at 7 (and I was the average size).

When I go shopping, I always observe what the customers look like, what they're buying and what sizes they buy. I think my job subconciously taught me to do that.

Yeah, that does make sense, I keep hearing statistics like over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, that the average American woman wears a size 14, etc.... And I've definitely noticed that the same sizes fit very differently in different brands! Most of my pants are a Juniors size 5, but I have a pair of Misses size 2 khakis that are too big, and a pair of Juniors size 9 pants that fit perfectly!



I've also found a few brands where their khakis are much bigger than their jeans in the same size, which doesn't make sense to me at all... Maybe if clothing manufacturers used the same sizing they did a few decades ago, more people would realize they're overweight




No offense to anyone on this board who is overweight, of course! My metabolism is slowing down and if I don't make some changes I could definitely be overweight as I get older! But I think everyone will agree that it's just not healthy to be very overweight or obese, regardless of whether you think it looks good or not... But I've also heard studies where a surprisingly large percentage of people thought they weren't overweight even though the doctors said they were! That's why I wonder if going back to smaller sizes would help people realize they are overweight!


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## SamanthaBNYC (Sep 4, 2006)

Originally Posted by *girl_geek* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, that does make sense, I keep hearing statistics like over 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, that the average American woman wears a size 14, etc.... And I've definitely noticed that the same sizes fit very differently in different brands! Most of my pants are a Juniors size 5, but I have a pair of Misses size 2 khakis that are too big, and a pair of Juniors size 9 pants that fit perfectly!



I've also found a few brands where their khakis are much bigger than their jeans in the same size, which doesn't make sense to me at all... Maybe if clothing manufacturers used the same sizing they did a few decades ago, more people would realize they're overweight




No offense to anyone on this board who is overweight, of course! My metabolism is slowing down and if I don't make some changes I could definitely be overweight as I get older! But I think everyone will agree that it's just not healthy to be very overweight or obese, regardless of whether you think it looks good or not... But I've also heard studies where a surprisingly large percentage of people thought they weren't overweight even though the doctors said they were! That's why I wonder if going back to smaller sizes would help people realize they are overweight!

A lot of people say that Marilyn Monroe would have been a size 12 by today's standards, but that's crazy. By today's standards, she would have been close to a 6. Back in the 50's, women were a lot smaller (and so were the teenagers and children), so if one of her garments had a size "12" label, it would not fit today's "size 12" woman. Monroe had a 24" waist, a pair of today's "size 12" pants have about a 36" waist. It's weird, but if we went back to the old sizing, Lane Bryant, Torrid, Ashley Stewart, and the Avenue, would be the hottest stocks on Wall Street. People put a stigma to those brands, but if you're chubby, then you're chubby. It's better to buy those than to sausage yourself into something too small.I'm 35 pounds overweight, and it was my choice (I chose to eat too much fast food and not exercise), it wasn't fate or something beyond my control. I can tell you, 35 pounds of excess flesh is not sexy or attractive. I look repulsive and it makes me feel like a disgusting slob. I don't want pity, and I don't mean to offend anyone, but if you can't be honest about your outside, you can't be honest about your inside. My doctor has ordered me to take nutrition classes and to exercise.


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## dixiewolf (Sep 4, 2006)

I hate clothes shopping b/c of this reason (the size differences). Ok, I actually like to shop for clothes, but I hate trying on in the dressing room. I would like to just grab a shirt, pay for it, and take it home. But I usually take 2-3 different sizes in the dressing room. I am probably a medium but the sizes are so screwy. I once tried on a misses large and I could not breathe it was so tight. Pants are the worst though, especially jeans, I have jeans in several sizes that all fit the same.


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## Simone (Sep 4, 2006)

Yep, there's really know way to be sure of the difference between a large and a small, unless you're familiar with the brand. There's just no uniform standards in sizes at all.


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## blackmettalic (Sep 4, 2006)

I check the website I'm buying from (most times med=8/10, large=10/12) and they have measurements. When I buy babydoll or really tight-fitting tees (esp. if they are meant for teens) I have to get large because of my breasts,but I usually get medium and sometimes even small when I try things on. It is also based on what YOU think looks big or small (from now since I was a teen that has changed!).


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## camaiu (Sep 24, 2006)

Yeah most places' sizes vary.. Banana Republic shirts for me are usually a medium... But most other places I have to have a large because of my breast size. "Normal" medium shirts that otherwise fit me fine end up like 5" up my stomach because my breasts are hogging all the material!!!

I usually don't buy online unless I've already tried it on or had other clothes from them previously. Or, of course, if they pay for the shipping for exchanges


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## StereoXGirl (Sep 25, 2006)

Originally Posted by *Sincerely Me* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've been shopping again lately, and I usually wear a medium, as I'm not...large, but large makes me feel more comfortable, and my boobs aren't as WHOA as they are in a medium...but it just seems like it's too long, so I should get the medium instead. But I was wondering if there's even a point if they're similiar?! 
Any idea what the real difference is, ladies?

You should always buy clothing that fits the largest part of you. If your breasts need to squeeze to fit into a medium, but fit well in a large, it's best to buy the large and have it tailored so that it fits the rest of you.
If you're worried about a large being too long, I agree with the other girls...I would definitely look into the petites section.





Hope that helps some.


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